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Man found guilty of killing, dismembering ex-girlfriend

After less than two days of deliberations, a jury found a man guilty of second-degree murder for violently killing and dismembering his on-and-off girlfriend, rejecting his testimony that it was his now-dead mother who was the real murderer.

Chun Qi Jiang was found guilty Thursday of the murder and dismemberment of his girlfriend, Guang Hua Liu.

Guang Hua Liu remains were found in Mississauga and Scarborough in August 2012. Her boyfriend was convicted of second-degree murder on Thursday.

Chun Qi Jiang, left, was convicted of second-degree murder for dismembering his sometimes girlfriend Guang Hua Liu, right. Photos of the couple taken from his cellphone were exhibits in the trial.

After less than two days of deliberations, a jury found a man guilty of second-degree murder for violently killing and dismembering his on-and-off girlfriend, rejecting his testimony that it was his now-dead mother who was the real murderer.

As the verdict was read, Chun Qi Jiang, 42, stood looking straight ahead, his face impassive as it has been for much of the gruesome six-week trial.

Jiang was charged with first-degree murder, accused of killing Guang Hua Liu in the basement of his Scarborough home on Aug. 10, 2012 because she’d chosen to be with another man.

But in a twist to the trial, Jiang testified that it was his mother who killed 41-year-old Liu, and that he was only telling the truth about what happened now because she is dead and he no longer needs to protect her.

“We are very satisfied that (the jury) saw through the superficial defence of Mr Jiang. We feel they reached a just decision,” said Crown attorney Brian McGuire outside the courthouse. “Obviously we were concerned that people would buy into (his defence) … but he was not a particularly compelling witness in his own defence.”

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By making a finding of second-degree murder, the jury found that Jiang did not plan to kill Liu, a mother of three, as the Crown alleged.

“The defendant laid down a pretty good trail of lies and destruction of evidence,” said McGuire. “It’s difficult to reconstruct that so I totally understand that jury’s verdict in that regard.”

Second-degree murder holds a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but a judge must set a period of parole ineligibility for between 10 and 25 years.

Seven jury members sought the maximum of 25 years, two suggested 20 years, three made no recommendation.

McGuire said the jury’s recommendations will play a big role in the sentence the Crown asks for at a hearing set for Aug. 29.

Jiang’s lawyer Kathryn Wells said an appeal of the verdict is being considered.

On the stand, Jiang admitted he helped dispose of Liu’s body, tossing body parts wrapped in grocery bags into rivers in Scarborough and Mississauga. He also admitted repeatedly lying to police, and destroying evidence of the crime.

But, he denied killing and dismembering Liu, saying the murderer was his beloved mother, 66-year-old Fen Gen Zhang, who had recently emigrated from China to live with him. She disliked Liu and was convinced she’d stolen some valuable family jewellery, he told the court.

She died of a coronary artery blockage days after Jiang was taken into custody.

With a rare display of emotion, Jiang described finding his mother stabbing at Liu’s body in the basement with a cleaver after he broke up a confrontation between the two women in the kitchen.

“I will love you always,” he said he told his mother, and testified he resolved to do everything he could to protect her.

The Crown presented a very different version of events to the jury.

On the day of her murder Liu called a close friend and told her she’d decided to be with her new boyfriend Kenneth Grotsky instead of Jiang, McGuire said. She sounded happy.

She didn’t know Jiang already suspected her choice, because he’d come to her house after she cancelled a date with him a few nights earlier and seen Grotsky’s car in the driveway. He snapped a picture of the licence plate and intended to confront her with it, McGuire suggested.

“It’s no coincidence that she died on the day she made the decision to go with Grotsky,” McGuire said.

Shortly after that phone call, Jiang came over to Liu’s house to pick up a TV and stand she was giving him. She returned with him to his house, where he proceeded to kill her, dismembered her body and dumped it where he hoped it would decompose, McGuire said.

Jiang then coolly and calmly lied to Liu’s panicked friends and mother about where he last saw her and suggested to police her new boyfriend should be a suspect, McGuire said.

The jury went out Wednesday morning and spent about 13 hours deliberating.

Liu’s family did not attend the trial, and are “very private people,” McGuire said.

“This verdict doesn’t bring back Ms. Liu for them … but hopefully the verdict gives them some sense that justice has been done.”

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